Crystal puller



arch 1, W66 J. w. MILLER 3,238,022

CRYSTAL PULLER Filed Sept. 17, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

F'IG. lb

INVENTOR. JOSEPH WALT ER MILLER BY/v/Mwq ATTORN EY J. W. MILLER CRYSTAL PULLER March 11, flg

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEPH WALTER M LLER MW ATTOR NEY J. W. MILLER CRYSTAL PULLER March 11, R966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sep.. 17, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEPH WALTER MILLER ATT'ORNEY J. W. MILLER CRYSTAL PULLER Man-'ch 1, 16

4 Sheets-Shee'l'l 4 Filed Sept. 17, 1963 F'IG. 7

INVENTOR. JOSEPH WALTER MILLER ATTORNEY 49 'll-WG. 5

United States Patent O 3,238,022 CRYSTAL PULLER .loseph Walter Miller, Scotch Plains, NJ., assignor to Yorke Scientific Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 309,561 Claims. (Cl. 23-273) This invention relates to crystal pullers, such as are used for growing crystals from a seed or powder on a rod rotated and progressively moved as the crystal grows.

Crystal pullers such as have been heretofore manufactured and used, have been heavy, complex and awkward in use, were not adaptable to various techniques, were expensive and difficult to manufacture and operate, and required permanent installation. Crystal pullers are essentially laboratory tools; features of present devices, above noted, objectionable for practical and scientific reasons, are overcome in the crystal puller of the present invention, which is portable, compact, self contained, fully enclosed, and is versatile and highly adaptable to various techniques and incorporates novel features of construction and operation, more fully below described. The crystal puller of this invention may be readily manufactured at low cost, is rugged and eflicient and durable in use and operation and has highly eflicient individual and variable speed controls for pulling and rod rotation and for setting and varying the speed of operation of various parts of the device.

Pursuant to the invention, the puller shaft is flexible and is rotated within and its free end rises and falls in unison with movement (such as rotation) of a hollow tubular member.

Pursuant to the invention, a crystal puller shaft is constantly rotated, in either preselected direction, at preselected speeds of rotation, while being elevated and lowered by novel means Without impairing the rotation of the shaft. The shaft elevating and lowering means is actuated at preselected rates of speed and may be manually operated if desired. The shaft continually rotates while parts thereof flex to enable the shaft to move in a constant plane and at a predeter-mined rate relative to the crucible or furnace containing the crystal-forming material.

The drawings, illustrating procedures and devices useful in carrying out the invention, and the description below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall be deemed to cover all other devices and procedures coming within the scope and purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable crystal puller embodying the invention,

FIG. la is a fragmentary elevational view thereof, taken at line 1a--1a of FIG. 1, a

FIG. 1b is a fragmentary elevational view thereof, taken at line 117-117 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention, with the free end of the rotating shaft shown disposed atop the housing instead (as in FIG. l) of alongside thereof,

PIG. 3 is a partly fragmentary, top plan view of the interior of the base or housing,

FIG. 4 is a partly fragmentary enlarged elevational view of typical mechanisms, which may be used in connection with the invention,

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention, within a sealing enclosure, and With remote Operating controls therefor,

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of a further form of the invention, and

3238322 Patented Mar.. 1, 1966 Ice FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of a further form thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, a crystal puller in accordance with this invention may comprise a housing 10` wherein driving mechanisms and controls are self-contained, a tubular member 11 being rotatably journalled in bearing 18 on the housing as at 12 and being keyed in the housing (FIG. 4) to a suitable drive member 13, such as a gear driven from a power source such as gear 14 of (FIG. 4) shaft 15 suitably journalled as at 16 in the housing and driven through means 17, below more particularly described. The member 11 is hollow and tubular and .may be externally threaded at 21 (FIG. 1b) for engaging the internally threaded first end 23 of the bracket 22 so that on rotation thereof bracket 22 will be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to housing 10. Bracket 22 has a second end portion 24 spaced therefrom by means such as rods 25 passing through the first end portion 23, preferably slidably (FIG. 2); thus the second end portion 24 may be adjusted to the spaced position desired relative to the first end portion by the user. The free ends of the rods 25 passing through the first end portion 23 of the bracket 22 may be threaded for or otherwise engaged by suitable looking means if desired. The tubular member 11 freely rotatably receives a first portion or section 26 of a rotating crystal puller shaft (FIGS. 1b and 4) extending through the tubular member 11 and into the housing at one end and being there secured to a drive means such as (FIGS. 4 and 3) a gear 27 driven by suitable means such as gear 28 mounted in a suitable bearing 29t and driven by suitable motor means such as 30, as through gear change device 31, and gear 32 and gear 33 keyed to gear 28.

The internally threaded first portion 23 of the bracket 22 which meshes with the externally threaded tubular member 11 may be formed as an aligning plate 38 (FIG. 1) having aperture 39 slidably engaging an aligning post 40 fixed as at 41 to housing 10 and a second aligning post 42 slidably received in aperture 44 of the first end 23 of bracket 22 fixed to the housing as at 43 for aligning the bracket 22 for movement in a true plane relative to the housing 10. An end plate 45 may (FIG. 1) be secured as at 46 to the upper ends of posts 40 and 42 and rotatably receive member 11.

A second crystal puller shaft section 47, defining the free end portion of the rotating shaft, may be rotatably journalled in bearing 48 (FIG. l) at the second end 24 of the bracket; a third crystal puller shaft section 49 (the medial portion of the rotating shaft) fiexibly connects the first and second shaft sections 26 and 47 (FIGS. 1b and 4). A bearing member 50 is preferably locked to the second crystal puller shaft section 47 as 51 (FIG. la) and rotatably positioned atop a support 52 (FIG. 1) positioned on the second end 24 of the bracket 22. The crystal puller shaft section 49 may be secured to the shaft section 26 by suitable means such as the socket 36 (FIG. 1b) formed on the section 49 for receiving the section 26 and keyed thereto as by set screw 37. As will be apparent from the foregoing, on rotation of tubular member 11 in one direction, the shaft section 47 -will rise or fall in unison therewith without disturbing rotation of the puller shaft which is shown formed in Sections such as 26, 47, 49 for convenience of manufacture and assembly. The flexible portion of the rotating shaft-the third shaft section 49 (FIG. la) may be connected to the second shaft section 47 as by set screw 53 passing through an end socket portion 54 formed on the third shaft section 49, and an aligning rod 55 (PIG. 1) may be fixed at one end to the second end portion 24 of the bracket and may have an apertured plate 56 secured thereto in spaced relation to the bracket 22 for freely rotatably receiving the third shaft section 49 therein while maintaining general alignment thereof with the second shaft section 47.

As above noted, the device is a portable crystal puller and in practice may be used in association with a crucible such as indicated in dotted lines 57 (FIG. 1) mounted away from the housing 10 or (FIG. 2) atop the housing 10.

In FIG. 6, parts corresponding with those in FIG, l are correspondingly marked, the reference characters being followed by sufiix a for simplicity of reference. The form shown in FIG. 6 is useful for special applications, as for the flame fusion process wherein powder and heat are applied to the free end of second rotating shaft section 47a and the rotating shaft passes freely through housing 10a.

In the FIG. form the portable crystal puller of the invention is shown positioned and sealed within enclosing hood 58 with a remote control unit 82 for controlling the driving mechanism for the tubular member 11 and the rotating shaft 47.

In the FIG. 7 form, the rod and crucible rotate. In that figure, parts corresponding with those shown in FIG. l are marked with the same reference characters followed by the suffix b. A second flexible shaft section 59 passes through the housing 1017 and is secured to the first shaft section 26h as at 60. In this FIG. 7 form, a second apertured bracket 61 may be provided for rotatably receiving the second flexible shaft section 59 in line with a crystal puller shaft section 471). A crucible 62 may be secured to second flexible shaft section 59 which freely passes through the housing 1017 and is therein keyed to driving means for sections 26h and 59.

The rate of rotation of crystal puller shaft section 26 may (PIG. 3) be Controlled by suitable means such as the line 70 connecting a rheostat or variable speed unit 71 in power line 72 with on-off power pack switch 73 and forward-reverse switch 73a (oif at the center position) providing exact control and the rheostat or selector control knob 74 providing infinitely variable speed for pull rod shaft 26.

A manual control shaft 75 may (FIG. 3) be provided, journalled in bearings 76 or the like in the housing and engaging, as through the gear 77, the gear 13 for rotating the hollow tubular member 11. One may manually, by control knob 78 of shaft 75, initially (or whenever else desired) precisely enter the crystal in the mother liquid in crucible 57 by thus manually rotating the tubular member 11 (normally rotated by the automatic means in housing 10). Control panel 80 may (FIG. 1) be mounted on housing 10 and the controls mounted thereon or remotely as in FIG. 5 through the remote control unit 82 connected by remote control cable 81 with the electrical motors in the housing 10.

The motor 17 may (FIG. 3) be connected, as by line 83 with the control vunit 84 for the power unit 90 for connecting the shaft for driving the external hollow tubular member 11 which rotates tubular member 11 at high or low speed. Clutch 85 may be a low-speed clutch and clutch 86 a high speed clutch. Motor 17 may be controlled for forward or reverse drive by switch 87 (FIG. 1) and on-off switch 88. Clutches 85, 86 are selectively energized by the position of switch 69 (FIGS. 1 and 3) through the clutch power unit (rectifier) 90 and line 102 (FIG. 3) from the unit 90 to the clutches 85, 86. Control knob 100 controls motor 17.

The low speed drive clutch 85 when energized couples the external shaft 11 with the shaft 15 through the drive member 91, gear change member 93, drive members 92, 94, 95, 96, gear change 97 and motor 17. When the high speed magnetic clutch 86 is actuated the motor 17 drives through member 94 and drive member 98, directly to the shaft 15 and thus to the external tubular member 11.

Switch 69 (FIGS. 3 and 1) may be used to select high or low speed drive for the tubular member 11, thus controlling the rate of withdrawal of section 47 of pull shaft 26 relative to the crucible 57. Moving the switch 69 to the right in the FIG. 1 position actuates the high speed clutch 86 (usually used only to move the assembly rapidly out 'of the way) and high speed pilot 69a lights up; on moving switch 69 to the left the low speed clutch is actuated (for normal crystal pulling operation) as well as the low speed pilot 69h.

Lines 72 and 101 (for units 71 and 84 respectively) are tied in on A.C. line 103. Line 89 feeds A.C. to rectifier which converts volts A.C. to 90 volts D.C. The specific control and drive means illustrated and described herein are exemplary only and other and supplementary control and drive means may be used to carry out the invention.

Suitable pilot lights such as 104, 105 may be provided on the housing 10 to indicate operation of hollow tubular member 11 and pull rod 26.

In view of 'my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications will therefrom doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A crystal puller comprising a housing, a tubular member extending from said housing and movable with respect thereto, guide means extending parallel to said tubular member and mounted on said housing, a bracket having one end in engagement with said tubular member for 'movement relative to said housing on movement of the tubular member, and in guided engagement with said guide means, the opposite end of said bracket forming a journal, a shaft extending from said housing through said tubular member and through said journal, a container for containing a melt, a tool adapted to support a seed for immersion into the melt at the free end of said shaft, and means within said housing for moving the tubular member and for rotating the shaft.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the tubular member is externally threaded, the bracket at the first end is threaded and in engagement with said threaded tubular member, and the means within the housing rotates the tubular member.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the journal in the bracket is substantially parallel to the tubular member and the shaft has a flexible section in the form of an inverted U joining two rigid Sections of the shaft, one of the rigid Sections lying within .the tubular member and the other within the journal.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the means in the housing for moving the member and for rotating the shaft is reversible in direction and variable in speed.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein the journal in the 'bracket is substantially parallel to the tubular member, the shaft has a flexible connection joining two rigid sections of the shaft, -one in the tubular member and the other in the journal, and a fiexible shaft supporting means adjacent the journal comprises an aligning rod eX- tending parallel to the section of rigid shaft in the journal and terminating opposite the fiexible portion of the shaft, and means interconnecting'the aligning rod and the flexible section of the shaft.

References Cted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 550,783 12/1895 Elliott et al. 64-2 2,107,495 2/1938 Otto et al. l62

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner.

G. HINES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CRYSTAL PULLER COMPRISING A HOUSING, A TUBULAR MEMBER EXTENDING FROM SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE WITH RESPECT THERETO, GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING, A BRACKET HAVING ONE END IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING ON MOVEMENT OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER, AND IN GUIDED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BRACKET FORMING A JOURNAL, A SHAFT EXTENDING FROM SAID HOUSING THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND THROUGH SAID JOURNAL, A CONTAINER FOR CONTAINING A MELT, A TOOL ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A SEED FOR IMMERSION INTO THE MELT AT THE FREE END OF SAID SHAFT, AND MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR MOVING THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND FOR ROTATING THE SHAFT. 